Will I crash?

[clockworkgazz]

First post on the road forum for me- not even sure this is the right place but WTF.

Just fixed up my Gary Fisher SS with some drop bars and levers (looks uber cool IMHO)and wanted your opinion on whether It is enevitable that I will crash in the next few days/weeks?

My problem is that I have never ridden a drop bar and even though It feels great/right/fast/sexy, on the short run I did last night I found myself grabbing for brakes that were not there :roll: .

Even when I managed to find the pesky drop levers, the new braking "feel" made it very hard for me to judge how hard/soft I should brake .

Am I going to learn the hard way and come a cropper or do you think the transition will be fast and painless :?:

 

[velomaniac]

Should be fast and painless Gazz, you never forget where your brakes are for very long, self preservation kicks in.

Try riding on top of the drops with your fingers applying a little braking every now and then until your mind and body are used to where the levers are. You do not have to go flat out eveywhere until you are comfortable !!!!

Get your body low and rear biased under heavey braking, drop bars can give you the feeling of being on the verge of going over the bars. Racers are all about keeping up momentum not braking heavily like us mtb'rs so look well ahead and anticipate your need to retard speed and even try to accelerate out of trouble as opposed to braking before meeting trouble !

Before long you'll be a speed junkie

 

[TheGreenRabbit]

you will be fine, whats a little road rash any way !

post some pics, please !!

 

[clockworkgazz]

wise words indeed - cheers S.
Good call on the rear bias braking, completly opposite to how I ride the brakes on the mountain bike but know what you mean about the over the bars feeling, anticipation is everything I suppose.

Will post pics tonight so you can all laugh at my bar tape skills and brake positioning :roll:

 

[lotek]

Try riding the tops of the brake levers, gives you a lot of control
and your right there if you need the brakes.
As mentioned before road brakes are really speed modulators +1
on learning to look ahead and anticipate.
If your riding in pacelines or groups don't look at the rider in front
of you, look at the rider in front of him.

marty

 

[legrandefromage]

ry these fellas - very usefull

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kore-Top-Mount-Br ... 8806711484

 

[clockworkgazz]

here is some pics- managed a 35 mile ride yesterday and stayed upright

 

[velomaniac]

Seriously good looking bike Gazz.

Personally I cant ride drop bars anymore as it hurts my neck and back but in the past I experimented with a drop barred road mtb. I called it the chaser because all I could do was chase the racers without hope of catching them :!:

Good luck on pedal Scotland.

 

[clockworkgazz]

Thanks Velo

Hope you are feeling better, j was feeling it on sunday too. Was fun but muddy

I know the feeling of trying to hunt down a racer and failing every time, that's why I love the SS, put my failure down to spinning out every time

Looking forward to the run across country, just hope we get some dry weather.